Escape
by ELY20
Summary: Completely AU, so no zombies. Carol and Sophia escape from Ed and end up in a small town where they meet Merle and Daryl Dixon. Merle makes it his mission to keep her safe, but Daryl wants nothing to do with her. What do you do when the one person you want wants nothing to do with you?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hi, everyone! So, this is my first AU story, and I'm very excited about it. I've been reading others on this site, and they've inspired me to write one of my own. There is going to be a focus on Daryl and Carol, but I will be bringing in other characters from the show as well. I really hope y'all enjoy it! Please leave me a review letting me know your thoughts and whether or not I should continue with it! Thanks!**

Carol Peletier woke up with a start at the sound of her daughter, Sophia, screaming. Rushing across the hallway, she walked into her daughter's room to see her daughter backed up against her bed's headboard, trying to get away from Ed's advances.

"You son of a bitch! Get the hell away from her!" Carol screamed, picking up the lamp on Sophia's nightstand and hitting Ed over the head with it. Carol heard a sickening crunch and then Ed slumped down on the bed, passed out.

"Come on, Sophia. Get your coat and your suitcase, and head outside to the car. I'll be there in a second, okay?"

"I don't want to go by myself," Sophia said in a panic, staring up at her mother with wide eyes.

Carol placed her hands on either side of Sophia's face, "I'll just be a second. I need to grab my things. We have to hurry before he wakes up."

Finally, Sophia nodded and ran to her closet to grab the suitcase Carol had packed for her just in case something like this were to happen.

When Carol was sure that Sophia was in the car, she raced to her room and changed into a pair of jeans, a sweater, and a pair of jeans. She dug in the back of her closet, looking for the suitcase she had hidden there.

With her suitcase in hand, she ran for the front door, ready to finally be away from Ed. She'd been afraid that he would wake up and come for her, but the blow from the lamp combined with the amount of alcohol in his system must have been enough to keep him knocked out.

Carol found Sophia right where she told her to be, in the passenger seat of the car. Throwing her suitcase into the backseat, Carol made sure Sophia was buckled in before trying to start the car. She realized with horror that she didn't have the keys to the car. They were with Ed. How could she have been so stupid and left the keys behind?

Carol started to shake and tears sprung to her eyes, "I have to go back inside for the keys, Sophia. Wait right here, okay?"

"Momma, you can't go back inside. He'll wake up," Sophia whispered.

Carol breathed in deeply, already aware that Sophia was probably right. There was no way this would be an easy getaway. Turning in her seat, Carol grabbed her daughter, squeezing her tightly.

"I'll be right back, okay? Just wait here."

Sophia nodded, a sad expression on her face, and with one last look at her daughter, Carol got out of the car and ran back into the house.

The house was silent as Carol made her way to her daughter's room. She kept her head on a constant swivel, expecting Ed to jump out at her at any second.

When she made it to Sophia's room, she stopped right before she entered the room, peeking around the wall to see if Ed was still lying on the bed. Sure enough, the big bastard was still passed out.

Carol assumed that the keys were in one of his pockets, which she wasn't thrilled about. That meant that she would have to get closer to him than she wanted to.

Carol approached him slowly. When she reached him, she poked him once in the back to see if he would move, flinching instinctively away from him. Ed remained still, though, and Carol breathed out a sigh of relief. She felt in his two back pockets first, but all she found was his wallet. Opening it up, she saw that he had a little over a hundred dollars, and she quickly grabbed the dollar bills, folding them up and shoving them in her jeans pocket.

She realized with uneasiness that the other two pockets wouldn't be as easy to reach. Feeling for the first one, she finally managed to get her hand in the pocket after several seconds of struggle, only to find it empty. All she had left was the pocket on his other side. She silently prayed that Ed remained knocked out and for the keys to be in that pocket.

She walked around the bed and quickly shoved her hand underneath him, feeling inside the pocket. She nearly cried out in triumph when her hand wrapped around a set of keys. A small smile on her face, Carol yanked her hand out from under him quickly, her only thought on getting back to Sophia.

Before she had a chance to escape, a sweaty hand clamped down on her wrist, nearly causing her to drop the keys. Ed lifted his head up, his eyes bloodshot and crazy.

"Thought you could get away, huh, you stupid bitch? I'll beat your ass for this, and then I'll have that little girl all to myself."

Carol whimpered, knowing that he would make good on that threat. Ed was trying to get off the bed while holding her wrist at the same time, but he was having trouble. When he finally got on his knees and got turned around, Carol swiped at him with her other hand, leaving claw marks across his face. Ed howled in pain and let go of her, clutching his eye.

She took that moment to bolt from the room, running the fastest she ever had in her life. She could hear Ed trying to catch up with her, lumbering down the hallway as he screamed out obscenities, but Carol was faster. She made it to the car and threw herself inside, not bothering to put her seatbelt on as she started up the car and backed out of the driveway, driving off into the night.

Nearly eight hours later, it was the middle of the day, and Carol and Sophia were on a bus, headed to nowhere in particular. Carol had decided to ditch the car several hours ago, just in case he would be able to find them somehow. She'd decided to leave it in the parking lot of a diner they'd bought lunch from.

Carol rubbed her eyes and shook her head, hoping to shake off the sleepiness she was feeling. There was no way she could sleep. She looked over and smiled at Sophia's sleeping form. She held her favorite teddy bear close to her chest, and Carol swore there was a slight smile on her face. She imagined it was the first peaceful sleep she'd had in a long while. She was glad that at least one of them could sleep.

Looking out the bus window, Carol realized that they were stopped in a small Georgia town by the name of Cherokee Rose. She smiled, instantly liking the name. By the looks of it, the town was really small, the kind people passed over all the time while trying to get somewhere bigger and better. The surrounding buildings and houses looked dingy and rundown, like they weren't being maintained properly. Carol thought it was perfect.

As people began getting onto the bus (there was no one getting off), Carol nudged Sophia awake, practically pushing her out of her seat. After they grabbed their suitcases, Carol and Sophia headed to the front of the bus.

"Ya sure ya want to get off here, miss?" The elderly bus driver asked her, looking at her in confusion. Carol gave him a tight smile.

"Yes, we are."

The man just shrugged and opened the doors. As soon as they were off the bus, it sped off, leaving a trail of dust behind. Carol had a moment of panic where she wasn't sure if she'd made the right decision, but she pushed that fear aside. This town was small and inconspicuous; Ed would never think to look for them in a small town like this.

"Is this place our new home?" Sophia asked, her eyes wide as she took everything in.

"Yes, it is," Carol told her, running a hand through her daughter's hair. For now, this would be their new home. Their escape.

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone that reviewed the first chapter! I hope this chapter is just as good as the first! Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks!**

Carol and Sophia stood in the middle of town, unsure of what to do next. While the town was relatively small, the streets were alive with action. People were running around from place to place, heading into the grocery store or going to the local diner. The stores had a certain quaintness to them, like they were right out of the 1950s. Carol felt like she'd stepped back in time.

She looked around nervously, trying to find someone approachable to talk to. She needed to find a hotel as soon as possible. She turned and realized that she was standing directly in front of the liquor store. Just then, a man came out, a large brown paper sack underneath his arm.

He was at least six feet tall, and he was huge, but not from being overweight. This man obviously either spent a good bit of his time working out or doing manual labor. The muscles in his arms and chest helped him to fill out his wife beater quite nicely. His blue jeans were dirty and littered with holes, and his black boots were scuffed. His hair was buzzed short, but she could make out a little bit of brown, and his face was covered in gray stubble.

"Excuse me?" Carol said tentatively, taking a step toward the man. He blinked rapidly, as if noticing for the first time that she'd been standing there.

"Somethin' I can help ya with, sugar?" The man said, stepping closer to her than Carol was comfortable with and grinning at her. She took a step back, putting her arm around Sophia's shoulders. Maybe chatting someone up that was leaving the liquor store hadn't been such a smart idea on her part. Talking to men already made her nervous, especially drunk ones.

"Could you tell me where the nearest hotel is?" Carol asked him, finding it difficult to stare him straight in the eye. Living with Ed had made her submissive, especially when it came to men.

"One on down past the gas station," He replied, pointing, "Place is a shithole, but it's better 'an nothing."

"Thank you," Carol said, flashing him a small smile before steering Sophia in the direction he'd pointed. They got five steps before the man spoke again.

"Wanna tell me how ya got all them bruises on ya face?" He asked. Carol could feel all the blood rushing to her face. She turned around, glaring.

"That's really none of your business. We need to be going," She said in a voice as cold as ice before turning back around and walking away quickly.

As Carol and Sophia walked to the hotel, Carol found herself perplexed as to how the man had seen her bruises. She had been sure to put on make-up before she'd gotten on the bus, in case anyone got suspicious of them. No one had noticed except for him. Maybe the make-up had worn off, and she just didn't know it. Either way, it upset her that they hadn't been in this town for five minutes and already someone knew about her bruises.

When they got to the hotel, Carol could see why the man had called it a shithole. The place really was a dump; she would have thought it was abandoned if not for the cars parked in the driveway. She told herself that they would only have to be there for a little while until she found them a more permanent home.

"Well, what do you think?" Carol asked Sophia after they'd gotten their keys and entered their room. The room was painted a dingy red color and the carpet was some sort green color. There were two twin size beds, along with two nightstands and a TV stand with a small TV on it and a VCR player. The bathroom was standard and was only a little grimy.

"It's okay," Sophia said, looking around with a look of clear disgust, and Carol laughed the first real laugh she'd heard from herself in a while.

"Yeah, it's pretty gross, isn't it? But we'll only have to be here for a little while until I can find us a new home, okay? Everything will be fine."

"Will Daddy be able to find us here?" Sophia asked, her voice small.

Carol guided her to one of the beds and sat her down, gently grabbing Sophia's chin and looking her in the eyes, "We're safe here, Sophia. No more worrying, okay? I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Sophia nodded and smiled, and Carol wrapped her arms around her, thankful to have her daughter here with her and to finally be away from Ed. Carol wasn't sure how, but somehow she knew that they were going to be okay. Everything would work itself out. She was sure of it.

Merle Dixon laid stretched out on the sofa, channel surfing the TV for what seemed like the hundredth time. He took another swig of whiskey and put it on football, not really caring about the game itself but looking for some sort of distraction. He couldn't get that woman and her daughter out of his head, though. Every time he closed his eyes, her face would flash in his mind, covered in bright purple bruises.

She'd tried to hide them, and she'd done a good job of it; most people wouldn't notice them. Merle had, though. The bruises aside, he could tell that she'd been abused simply by the way she carried herself. She'd been shaking when she approached him, and her eyes never fully met his for more than a second. Her daughter had been shaky too, looking all around like she was waiting for someone to come up behind her and snatch her up.

The whole thing had disgusted him. He considered himself a hard and cruel man, incapable of feeling for others, but the sight of that abused woman and her daughter, obviously on the run from the bastard that had done it, had nearly caused him to lose it. The woman had reminded him of his own mother, before she'd died. His daddy had thrown her around on a daily basis, always beating her for not doing things the way he wanted them done, or sometimes for no reason at all. He and his brother had grown up watching the violence, crying right along with their mother.

In the end, it had been alcohol poisoning that had killed her. She'd drank herself to death in order to escape her own husband. Merle hated her for that because he'd never been the same after. He became just as hard as his daddy, and the beatings didn't help to soften him up. He and his brother both were now permanently messed up because of the abuse they'd endured.

Merle finished the rest of the whiskey, throwing the bottle down on the floor. It may have been the alcohol burning through his bloodstream, or maybe something more, but he had the sudden urge to protect the woman and her daughter. He had no clue how long they would be staying in town; most people were usually only passing through, but he would do everything he could to keep them safe from harm. He didn't want that little girl to grow up the way he had, and he didn't want the woman to suffer the same sad fate his mother had.

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone that has been reading this story and reviewing! I really appreciate it! I hope this is another good chapter! Also, I would just like to tell those of you that have been following my story New Beginning that I haven't abandoned it and I will update sometime, but I'm having some major writer's block, and I don't want to put out a chapter that sucks, so it could be awhile. Thanks for waiting patiently! Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter!**

Carol woke up the next morning with a huge smile on her face. She hadn't realized until now how little she'd been sleeping. When she was with Ed, she'd always slept with one eye open, and for good reason. Now, though, without the threat of Ed around, she was finally able to get a good night's sleep.

After lying in bed for several long minutes, Carol finally got up and stretched, looking over to check on Sophia's sleeping form. She went over to her suitcase and pulled out a pair of jeans, her favorite flower-printed shirt, and her bra and panties. She had just closed the bathroom door, ready to take a much needed shower, when she decided to wake up Sophia.

"Sophia, sweetie, I'm going to take a shower, okay? If someone comes to the door, don't answer it. I'll leave the bathroom door unlocked in case you need me."

Sophia nodded sleepily, and threw her head back down into the pillows, falling back asleep instantly.

The shower had been the best Carol ever had. Before, she had ten minutes to take her shower before Ed would barge in on her, demanding to know what was taking her so long. This morning, Carol took a thirty minute shower, enjoying every last second of warm water.

When she got out of the bathroom, Sophia was already up, waiting to get a shower of her own. Carol took the time that Sophia was in the shower to evaluate her money situation. She'd been hiding money from Ed for the past six years, only taking a couple dollars at a time so that he wouldn't catch on. She only had a little over five hundred dollars, plus the hundred she'd stolen from him. It wasn't enough, but it might just be enough for rent until she could find a job.

Suddenly her stomach growled loudly, and Carol laughed to herself. She and Sophia had both been too tired and stressed to eat much the day before, but now she felt ravenous, and she supposed that Sophia felt the same way.

As if on cue, Sophia came out of the bathroom with a pained expression on her face and a hand clutching her stomach.

"Momma, I'm hungry."

Carol smiled at her daughter and grabbed a twenty dollar bill from her stash of money, "Me too, baby. Let's go get something to eat."

Merle Dixon growled as he slammed the refrigerator door shut. Once again, there wasn't any food in the house. Not any that wasn't expired anyway. He didn't understand how they couldn't have any food. Daryl went to the grocery store once a week. There should be food. Scowling, Merle made his way down the short hallway leading to the three bedrooms. Daryl's was the last room. Merle took the liberty of barging into his little brother's room, not giving a damn about his privacy. He was hungry, and he wanted food now.

"Merle, what the hell are ya doin'? Ever heard of something called privacy, asshole?" Daryl snapped at him, sitting up in bed. If he wasn't out working at the local garage, he was usually in his room sleeping, which he'd been trying to do before Merle barged in.

"Ain't got no food, and I'm hungry," Merle said, placing one booted foot on Daryl's mattress and shoving it, causing the entire bed to shake. Daryl growled.

"Last time I checked, you had a damn license. Go get ya own damn food and leave me be."

"C'mon, baby brother. You know I ain't got no money. Let's go over to that diner and get us a couple burgers."

Daryl sighed and turned over, covering his head with a pillow. Merle annoyed him to no end, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't hungry. Actually, he was starving. He was painfully aware that there was no food in the house, but the garage had kept him busy for the past few days, and he hadn't had a chance to get to the store. And he knew there was no way in hell Merle could be trusted to go grocery shopping. There was no telling what he'd come back with.

"Alright, fine, we'll go to the diner. Just let me get a shower first."

Merle stopped shaking his bed and lowered his leg, turning to leave the room, "Hurry up. Ya ain't out in five minutes, I'm comin' in after ya."

Daryl groaned, knowing that Merle would make good on that threat.

Carol and Sophia sat in a tiny booth in the back of the diner, both of them sipping on large chocolate milkshakes. Upon entering, Carol had decided she liked this place immediately. It had that kind of old charm that most diners today lacked. She and Sophia both had been pretty excited about the place, and they'd been even more excited to find that the place served homemade milkshakes and pie.

"Alright, ladies. Here are your burgers and fries," The waitress said as she approached their table, setting down two large plates.

"Thank you," Carol told her gratefully, ready to dig in to her plate.

"Can I get y'all anything else?"

"No, thank you."

"Alright, just holler if you need anything," The waitress said before walking away.

Carol took a bite of her burger and rolled her eyes back in ecstasy. The burger was delicious and the fries were equally just as good.

"How's your food, Sophia?" She asked her daughter, but Sophia didn't reply. She was too busy chewing a giant hunk of burger. Instead, she gave her mom a thumbs up and a smile. Carol laughed.

"Don't choke," Carol told her halfheartedly.

They spent the rest of their meal in mutual silence, both of them too hungry to really carry on a conversation. Carol hated the way her eyes would constantly dart over to the diner's entrance, looking for Ed. She wondered if she would spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder for him.

Just then, two men entered the diner. She immediately recognized the first one as the man from the liquor store she'd talked to the other day. The other one she didn't recognize, but she could tell from the way he carried himself that he was probably related to the other man. They stood in the middle of the diner for a second, looking for a table to seat themselves at, and that's when the first man noticed her and Sophia.

Carol lowered her gaze on instinct. Taking in a breath, she looked back up to see them headed straight for her. Panic flowed through her; she hardly knew the man. Why would he be coming over to see her? She prayed that they didn't have some sort of hidden agenda.

"Hey there, sugar. We didn't get formally introduced yesterday. Name's Merle and this here's my brother Daryl."

Carol smiled up at them, "It's nice to see you again, Merle. And it's nice to meet you, Daryl."

Carol noticed right away that Daryl was good looking. He was much younger than Merle, probably closer to her own age. His skin was tan and his hair was dark. Like his brother, he was also extremely muscular and he looked good in the flannel shirt he was wearing, even though the sleeves had been torn off. She couldn't help but notice how blue his eyes were.

Daryl nodded once at her, not saying anything. He looked around nervously, and his whole body seemed to vibrate with energy. He seemed antsy.

"Mind if we join ya?" Merle asked, sitting in the seat beside Carol.

Carol laughed, surprised by his boldness, "Well, I guess so since you just invited yourself."

Merle laughed in return, "I just knew ya would say yes."

Carol looked back up to Daryl, who hadn't moved. She realized that he was looking at the spot next to Sophia like it was on fire.

"It's okay, Daryl. You can sit down. She doesn't bite," Carol said, a smile on her face, hoping to lighten a bit of the awkward tension.

Daryl's face turned fire engine red, but he finally sat down beside Sophia. Carol noticed that he scooted as far away from Sophia as he could, to the point where half of his ass was nearly hanging off the seat.

"So what's ya name, darlin'? Merle asked Carol, taking a napkin out of the dispenser and slowly tearing it into tiny pieces.

"Carol. This is my daughter, Sophia."

"What brings ya into town? Don't get many visitors."

Carol's face reddened a little. She thought about lying to them, but she quickly decided against that, "I just left my husband. We're looking for a new place to settle down for a little while. This town seemed nice. Small."

Merle was silent for a second. Just then their waitress came back. Her face looked surprised at the new arrivals.

"What'll it be, boys?" She asked, notepad and pen ready.

"I'll have a bacon cheeseburger with cheesy fries and a large strawberry milkshake. Oh, and a piece of peach pie," Merle said. The waitress jotted everything down before staring expectantly at Daryl.

"Uh, can I get a grilled cheese sandwich with onion rings and Coke?" He asked tentatively, and Carol smiled at his soft voice. She hadn't expected him to sound so, well, polite.

The waitress walked away without saying another word, and Carol couldn't help but notice how cold she suddenly seemed.

"So ya left your husband, huh?" Merle asked Carol as soon as the waitress left.

Carol gave him a tiny smile, "Yes."

She didn't miss the look that Merle gave Daryl across the table.

"Found a place to stay yet?"

"No, I haven't been looking yet. I was going to look around today, see what I can find."

"Well, uh, Daryl and I here got a place on our property that ya could stay in. Place's is small, but it'll do. What do ya say, sugar? We'll even fix it up for ya."

Carol sat dumbfounded, unsure of what to say. She'd been expecting an awkward lunch, not a proposal to stay on their land. The offer seemed too good to be true, and she didn't really know anything about these men. What if they were just like Ed? What if they were bad men? Judging from the stares they were getting and how short the waitress had been with them, they probably weren't the most upstanding citizens.

"She don't wanna stay in no damn shack, Merle," Daryl said quietly, his voice full of venom.

"You watch ya mouth little brother. There's a kid present. Gonna have to do something with it anyway, might as well rent it out."

Carol watched as Daryl rolled his eyes and clenched his jaw, clearly unhappy with the idea.

"Oh, well, thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass."

Merle turned his full upper body to look at her then, appalled.

"What do ya mean you'll pass? You need a place to stay an' we got one. What, you don't like us or something?" Carol couldn't believe how hurt he sounded, despite the fact that they barely knew each other.

"It's not that I don't like you, I'm just not sure about moving in next to someone I hardly know."

Merle snorted, "Well, I hate to break it to ya, lady, but people do that shit all the time. It's called havin' neighbors."

Carol's face turned red. He had her there.

"Well, I don't have a lot of money. I need someplace cheap."

"We look like we run the Hilton or something? You won't find much cheaper than us."

Carol sighed. Merle seemed like he was a nice guy, and he seemed more than eager for her to take the place. After a few long minutes of silence, Carol finally replied.

"Okay, what if we come by later to look at the place? Would that be okay?"

Merle slammed his fists on the table, causing all three of them to jump.

"Alright! It's a deal!"

Carol laughed. She wasn't sure what she had just gotten herself into, but she hoped that this would be the start of something good for both her and Sophia.

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone that has been reading and reviewing! I hope y'all like this chapter. Please let me know what you think! **

Merle opened up the front door to the small house on the back of their property, bracing himself for what he would find inside. He hadn't been in here in awhile, probably in a few months at least, and he knew that it was going to be a wreck.

The place had been there when his parents first bought the land back years ago. His father had rented it out a few times, mostly to drug dealers or fellow users, but ever since their father had passed, the place had been abandoned. Merle saw Carol and her daughter as the perfect new tenants. He also figured that there husband would never find them here.

The smell of the place hit him like a freight train, and he covered his nose with one hand, trying to inhale as little as possible. The place smelled like a combination of old house and dead rodent. He walked into the living room first, noticing the peeling paint on the walls and the unidentifiable stains on the carpet. The kitchen looked better, except for the peeling paint.

He checked the only bathroom to the house and was relieved to see that the plumbing was still in working order. The tile in the shower was crumbling away and the floor was dirty, but those things could be fixed easily.

The first of the two bedrooms seemed to be in good condition, minus the gross carpet and peeling paint. The last place he needed to check was the back bedroom. He opened the door to the room and cringed as he caught a whiff of the room. He walked a little further into the room and saw the source of the smell. A dead opossum lay in the middle of the room, so decayed and rotted that there was nothing left but bones.

He grimaced, knowing that there was no way a woman like Carol would even consider living here if she saw the carcass of a dead animal lying in what would probably be her bedroom.

He set to work immediately. First, he patched up several holes in the walls and windows where things like bugs and animals could get in. Then he set to pulling up carpet, first in the back bedroom. The painting and tiling could wait a while.

Merle worked until he could feel sweat dripping down his forehead and the sun was beginning to lower behind the horizon. He grumbled to himself, pissed off that Daryl hadn't come out to help him. The whole house could have been cleaned out by now if Daryl had come to help.

Pissed off, Merle stormed out of the house in search of his little brother. Carol would probably be coming over any minute now and he could use some help.

When he walked into their house, Daryl was lying on the sofa in the living room, watching television and sipping on a bottle of whiskey.

"Get up, asshole, and come help me wit the house. They gonna be here any minute now," Merle growled, kicking his brother in the leg. Daryl removed his gaze from the TV long enough to glare at Merle.

"I ain't the one takin' in charity cases. Do it yourself," Daryl said.

Before Merle had a chance to think his actions through, he punched Daryl in the one spot no man should ever be punched. He watched as Daryl fell off the couch, grabbing himself and howling in pain.

"What the hell was that for?" Daryl yelled, his face red.

"Cause ya was bein' a dick," Merle replied, sitting down in the recliner across from the couch, "Can't ya tell that woman's been abused? We're all she's got. She's just like Mom when she was on the run."

Eventually, Daryl got up off the ground and sat down gingerly on the couch, still in pain, "Merle, what are ya talking about? That woman ain't none of our business."

"Yeah, she is. We gotta protect her in case the asshole that did that shit to her turns up. Don't ya care 'bout her an' that little girl?"

Daryl rolled his eyes and turned back to the television, "No, I really don't."

"Why the hell not?" Merle demanded, standing up to tower over Daryl. Daryl stood up too, his chest nearly touching Merle's.

"Cause there ain't no reason for me to. Ya really tryin' to protect 'em cause she reminds ya of Momma?" Daryl said, glaring at Merle. He was genuinely perplexed by Merle's behavior. He only cared about himself. It wasn't in Merle's nature to care for someone he'd only just met. Hell, Merle didn't even care about his own brother. What was so goddamn special about this woman and her kid?

Merle didn't respond. Instead, he lunged for Daryl, grabbing him by the throat and throwing him down onto the floor. Daryl recovered quickly and threw a punch, hitting Merle square in the jaw. Merle returned a hit of his own, hitting Daryl in the eye. He smiled smugly, realizing that Daryl would have a hell of a shiner in a couple hours.

Both brothers continued to fight, throwing punches and wrestling on the ground. Neither one of them heard the front door open.

"Um, is there a problem?" Carol asked from the doorway. Both men looked up at her voice, shocked that she was standing in their living room. Merle got up quickly, throwing a smile on his face. Daryl pulled down his shirt and turned to glare at Carol.

"Ever heard of knockin', lady? Or do y'all just bust in to folks' homes where you're from?"

"I'm sorry. I heard yelling. I thought maybe something was wrong. Won't happen again," Carol said, smiling at him.

Daryl shook his head and headed back down the hallway leading to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

"He doesn't like me very much, does he?" Carol asked, staring up at Merle. He just smiled at her.

"Daryl don't like anybody. Just how he is. Ya ain't gotta worry 'bout him, though. He'll warm up to ya eventually," Merle knew that last line was a lie, but he didn't want to worry Carol.

"Y'all want something to drink? Let's see, I got beer. I got whiskey. Hey, I got some of them fruity wine cooler things. Ya girl might like one of those."

Carol gasped and then began to laugh, hugging Sophia closer to her, "Merle's she's just a kid. She can't have alcohol."

Merle just stared at her blankly, "Why the hell not? I was drinkin' at that age. Might do her some good."

Carol just laughed and shook her head, "We're fine, Merle. Thank you. What were you two fighting about?"

Merle just shook his head and walked over to the fridge, grabbing a beer and taking a long sip before answering, "Just sibling shit. Nothin' to worry ya pretty little head over. Let's go out back an' look at the house."

An hour later, Carol was grinning from ear to ear. She'd expected the house to be a total disaster, but overall, it hadn't been that bad. It was spacious enough for her and Sophia and only needed a few fix-ups. As they all headed outside, she and Merle talked about everything that needed to be done, and Carol agreed to come over first thing in the morning to help work on the house.

She was thankful that Merle was renting it out to her for cheap; she'd checked the prices of some of the other places in town, and they'd turned out to be surprisingly expensive.

"Thank you for this, Merle. Really. I appreciate it. I don't know what we would have done if this offer hadn't come along."

"It's nothing," Merle said, offering her a smile.

"Well, thank you anyway. I guess we better be heading back. Have a good night," Carol said, giving him a tiny wave. She was about to turn and start heading down the long driveway when the sound of a door opening and closing caught her attention.

She and Merle turned to see Daryl walking out of the house, storming toward them with a scowl on his face. His intense gaze landed on her, and she couldn't help the way her heart began to beat a little faster.

"Well, are ya gonna be movin' in?" He demanded.

"Yes, I think so," Carol replied.

"Well, I ain't helping ya bring over none of your shit. And ya better keep quiet. You'll scare off all the good game."

Daryl stormed off without another word, heading back inside.

"It was nice seeing you too, Daryl," She called after him, a small smile on her face.

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Carol looked over at her daughter, who was currently folding what little clothes she owned and putting them neatly into her suitcase. Today was the day. They were leaving the motel and moving into the house behind the Dixons. Merle had assured her that the lights and plumbing worked, and that was all Carol really needed to hear. She was beyond ready to get out of the motel.

"Are you excited about moving into the house?" Carol asked Sophia.

"I guess so. It's kinda scary, though, being all out in the woods."

Carol smiled, "The woods aren't scary. They're peaceful. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"What if a bear comes?" Sophia inquired, staring up at her mother with huge eyes.

"Oh, I don't think we'll have to worry about any bears. Everything will be okay, Sophia. And if one does happen to come by, then we'll just scare him off."

Carol was glad when Sophia smiled up at her. She still looked a little unsure, but she was glad that bears were her biggest worry. Honestly, she'd been nervous about what running away from Ed would do to Sophia. She didn't want her daughter to live a life of fear, but so far, it didn't seem like Sophia was worried about him.

"I think this new house is going to be good for us, Sophia. Now, let's hurry up and get this packing done. Merle will be here any minute."

* * *

Merle scrubbed a hand over his face and yawned as he walked down the hallway to the kitchen. Daryl had already left for his shift at the garage. He hoped that Daryl would stop by the grocery store when he got off, because they'd almost eaten through all the TV dinners and bread. He sighed as he reached into the fridge for a beer. It looked like he would be having a peanut butter sandwich and beer for breakfast. Again.

As he fixed his sandwich, Merle started thinking about his day and all the things he had to do. Usually, that list consisted of watching TV all day and agitating Daryl, but today was different. In a little while, he was going to pick up Carol and Sophia and bring them back to the house to drop off their stuff. Then they were going into town so that Carol could pick up some furniture and other essentials, including groceries. Merle huffed. If Daryl ever bothered to give him money, he could do the grocery shopping himself.

Merle jumped when he felt two cold hands cover his eyes. He heard a giggle behind him, and sighed. He'd forgotten that bitch was still here.

"Guess who?" She sang in a saccharine voice, her long blonde hair brushing against his bare shoulders. He tried to remember her name…Cindy? Or was it Mindy? He settled for calling her an expletive.

"Bitch, get offa me! Can't ya see I'm tryin' to eat?" Merle shouted, causing the girl to let go of him immediately and shrink away from him. He turned his head to glare at her.

"Dammit, Merle, why ya gotta be so mean all the time?" The girl huffed, going over to the refrigerator and grabbing a beer. She leaned against the counter, staring at him with sad eyes.

"Why don't ya get the hell outta my house? I'm done with ya, and you're drinkin' all my damn beer."

"Whatever," She said, taking off his shirt and throwing it down on the floor. When he caught a glimpse of her uncovered breasts and hot pink lacy panties, he almost regretted throwing her out. Almost.

Five minutes later, he heard the front door slam shut and knew she was gone. He sighed. Cindy, or Mindy, was his go to girl when he had an itch to scratch. She could be a fun girl, but she got too attached, always wanting to stay for the weekend or go out together and do things. He supposed he was getting too damn old for one night stands. You could get away with that kind of shit in your twenties. He was in his mid-fifties now; when you went to bed with a woman now, they expected shit from you. They expected stuff that he just wasn't ready to give.

* * *

Carol smiled and waved as Merle Dixon pulled into the parking space in front of their hotel room. He offered her a wave back and hopped out of the truck.

"How are you, Merle?" Carol asked him as he approached.

"Alright, I guess. How y'all doin' this morning?"

"We're fine," Carol said, smiling. They stood there for several seconds, neither party unsure of what to say to the other.

Merle glanced down at Sophia and noticed that the girl was staring up at him with scared eyes. She seemed to recoil away from him, as if he might strike her at any moment.

Merle squatted down so he was eye level with Sophia, "Hey, girl. You afraid of me?"

Her face turned red, and she shook her head back and forth, "No."

"Then why ya look like I'm gonna kill ya or something? Ain't no reason to be afraid of your ol' pal Merle."

Merle smiled triumphantly when Sophia grinned, hiding her face behind Carol.

"She's just shy is all, Merle," Carol replied for her daughter.

"This all ya stuff?" Merle asked, standing up and looking at the two suitcases sitting on the sidewalk.

"Yeah, this is everything."

Merle leaned over and grabbed the two suitcases, carrying them back to the truck and throwing them carelessly in the back.

"I'm glad we didn't have anything breakable in those suitcases," Carol said, coming to stand beside him. Merle just shrugged and opened up the passenger side door for her, clearly unperturbed by her comment.

"C'mon, let's go get this shoppin' done. We're wastin' daylight here."

* * *

Nearly five hours later, Merle was exhausted. As soon as he'd entered the house, he'd thrown himself on the sofa, planning to spend the next few hours sleeping. Carol had run him ragged, taking him from store to store to buy everything from mattresses to food. He'd been amazed at all the things she'd bought, and all with cash that came directly out of her pocket. By the end of the day, she'd bought two full size mattresses, a refrigerator, new clothes and shoes for both her and Sophia, and enough groceries to last them a good month. He reckoned he couldn't much complain about having to haul all of their stuff and drive them around. She had bought him lunch.

Actually, Merle had been more than happy to play chauffer for Carol and her daughter. They were good company and gave him something to do besides lay around all day. It had all been worth it to see the smile that would light up Carol's features whenever she would make a new purchase. He knew that he had done right by her and her daughter by letting them stay in the house on their property. If he could save another woman and child from the pain that his own mother and brother had endured, then that was all the reason he needed.

Just as Merle drifted off to sleep, he was ripped away from it as Daryl came in the door, slamming it shut.

"What the hell, man? Can't ya see I'm tryin' to sleep here?" Merle grumbled, whining like a small child. He really liked his sleep.

"Don't really give a shit if ya tryin' to sleep, Merle," Daryl snapped, heading straight for the kitchen.

"What's crawled up your ass?" Merle asked him, getting up to follow Daryl into the kitchen. He watched as his brother opened up the fridge door only to slam it closed as he realized they were out of everything.

"Goddamn assholes cut my hours at the garage. Ain't gonna be makin' as much money now. So, you might wanna go in there and watch yer TV because we ain't gonna have it for long."

"Wait a minute now, you can't go get rid of the TV! That's all I got!"

"Hey, I got an idea, how 'bout you go get a damn job and then you can pay for ya TV. Oh wait, ya can't go get a job because you done pissed off everyone in the damn county so much that they won't hire ya!" Daryl shouted, knocking an empty beer bottle off the counter with a swipe of his hand.

Both brothers were silent for a moment. They both jumped at the sound of a throat clearing, and they turned to see Carol standing in the doorway, watching them both.

"Jesus Christ," Daryl muttered, storming past her and heading for his bedroom. Merle shook his head and sat down at the kitchen table, rubbing a hand over his head. Carol stood still for several seconds before finally taking the seat across from Merle.

"What was that all about?" She asked him.

"His hours got cut at the garage. Won't have as much money comin' in."

"Oh."

They were both silent for a moment.

"I could pay the cable bill, you know. As a thank you for letting my daughter and I stay here. I don't mind."

Merle lifted his head up, eyeing her suspiciously. Before he could get a word out, Daryl came rushing back into the room, anger on his face.

"Hey, lady, we don't need yer charity. If ya gonna live around here, ya gonna learn some rules. First off, don't come bustin' in our damn house. Second, you don't owe us shit, so stop tryin' to help us out. We don't need it. Go back to your own house and leave us the hell alone."

"Daryl, I'm just trying to help. I appreciate-"

"I don't care! Get outta my house!" With that, Daryl stormed off once again. Both Carol and Merle jumped at the sound of his door slamming shut.

"C'mon, Carol. Let's go to your place for awhile. We can drink some beer and play cards."

"Okay," Carol replied, following Merle out of the house. As they made their way back to her house in silence, Carol couldn't help but think about Daryl all alone in his house, pissed off and hating the world. She realized there was a lot she didn't know about the Dixon brothers, and she got the feeling that Merle wasn't quite the upstanding gentleman that Carol knew him to be. She had a feeling that there was a lot more going on in that house than she realized, and Daryl probably hated her for making nice with his brother.

"Merle, I'll be there in just a second, okay? I want to say something to Daryl."

Merle stopped walking and whipped his head around to look at her, surprise in his eyes, "Ya sure about that?"

When she nodded, Merle simply shrugged his shoulders and kept walking, "Your funeral."

Carol shook her head as she jogged back to the house, suddenly thinking that maybe talking to Daryl was a bad idea, but knowing that she needed to do it anyway.

The house was completely silent when she walked in. Slowly, she made her way down the dim hallway to the bedrooms. It wasn't hard to figure out which one was Daryl's. There was a metal sign on the front of the door instructing all visitors to 'Keep the Hell Out'. Timidly, she opened the door, praying to God that he was decent.

She found him lying on a dingy mattress, his arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. There was a radio beside his head that was belting out some funky rock song that she'd never heard before. He didn't look at her as she entered the room, just kept on staring at the ceiling.

"Daryl, I realize you don't like me, but we are going to be neighbors, and I was hoping that maybe we could find some way to get along. I was offering to pay the cable bill as a thank you to both of you for letting my daughter and I stay here for cheap. You have no idea how much it means to us. Paying for your cable is the least I can do, but I understand if you don't want me to pay it."

He was silent for several long minutes, and Carol thought about leaving when suddenly he cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Look, I appreciate you tryin' to do all this nice shit for us, but ya ain't got to. Merle don't deserve for a nice woman like you to pay for his stuff. He ain't a good man, never has been. He just sees ya as a charity case. Guess you'll figure it out soon enough. The bastard will show his true colors eventually."

Carol shook her head slowly, already suspecting that that was the case.

"Yeah, I know there's more to him than meets the eye. I also know there's more to you than meets the eye. But I won't pay the cable bill if you don't want me to. Your house, your rules. Good night, Daryl."

With that, she backed out of his room, her only thought on the ice cold beer that would be waiting for her in her new refrigerator.

"Night," She heard Daryl call out and a huge grin spread across her face. They weren't exactly best friends, but it was a start. She was getting through to him, and that was enough for her.

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, I hope this chapter was worth it! Leave me a review and let me know your thoughts! Also, what did you guys think of that season 4 preview? I'm hoping this will be the season that Caryl finally happens! Thanks for reading!**


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